Friction is Necessary

A tool that shields us from the friction of the work is compelling, but if we don’t experience the friction, we will never change the work. Rutherford Craze In my mind, earlier consideration of disruption from digital tools now seems so quaint and naïve by comparison to the effects of so-called “artificial intelligence” on traditional human-centric creative processes. Rutherford makes a clear, cogent case for why keeping humans at the center is critical. He goes on to astutely note, How dare we abandon so many countless traditions and people and ideas and nuances, simply because they are under­represented in the training data? While I’ve seen some value in these tools, I can’t help but feel “the ick” in how they’re being used to re-shape the nature of how designers and artists create work — and in who gains the most from the growing entrenchment of these tools. Then there’s the ongoing question of when the bottom will fall out from it all. Reply via e-mail or follow me at…